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The Two Scenes Steven Spielberg Regrets Most In His Career: "That Was A Mistake"
Steven Spielberg regrets two scenes from his films for different reasons, which can teach us all about artistic choices.
Being disappointed in one's own work is a thread that runs through the entire art world. If you are creative, it is quite natural to want to change something about what you have made. That feeling does not go away even when you reach the level of Steven Spielberg.
As one of the most celebrated directors of his generation, Spielberg is known for his unmatched ability to tell universal stories, making him arguably the ultimate blockbuster machine in the film industry. But even he has moments he would rather erase and start anew. There are two specific scenes he regrets the most.
When you have made as many films as Spielberg, it is almost inevitable. 37 feature films make up a career that most can only dream of, and within that impressive oeuvre, Spielberg can proudly claim to have created some of the most beloved films of the last century. Jaws, Indiana Jones, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan are among the absolute classics.
This is why Spielberg is often seen as a commercial powerhouse more interested in making money than in creating art. But for a boy who spent his childhood behind the camera imitating his heroes, Spielberg is, first and foremost, an artist. And thus, he has moments in his career he would rather forget.
In addition to his infamous distaste for Hook, there are particularly two scenes that bother him for very different reasons. The first comes from his sci-fi epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 1977, which was a tremendous success both critically and commercially.
A meteor shower in New Jersey inspired him to make the film: "We lay down on a military sleeping bag and looked up at the sky. Every thirty seconds there was a bright flash shooting through the air. I remember saying, influenced by my father: 'If I ever get to make a sci-fi film, I want those guys to come in peace.'"
Shortly after the success of Jaws, this marked a new step for Spielberg, but the studio forced him to rush: "I missed the Christmas deadline. But they kept insisting: 'You have to make November, our entire company is at stake and we are all counting on this film.' So I had no choice."
After the success, Spielberg asked Columbia for permission to re-edit the film the way he wanted. He was allowed to, but only on the condition that he showed the interior of the mothership. Spielberg conceded and let Richard Dreyfuss walk in. In hindsight, he considered this a mistake: "That should have always remained a mystery. I should never have tampered with the archive of my own work, and I advise no one to do that."
Another moment of regret arose from a different kind of pressure with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The 1982 film is still regarded as one of the best children’s films of all time. However, for the film's 20th anniversary, Spielberg decided to make changes: guns were digitally replaced with walkie-talkies.
That also proved to be a mistake: "That was a mistake. E.T. is a product of its time. No film should be rewritten through the lens we view the world now, whether voluntarily or under pressure." He added: "Our films are signposts of where we were, what the world looked like, and how stories were received at the time. I truly regret altering that."
As one of the most celebrated directors of his generation, Spielberg is known for his unmatched ability to tell universal stories, making him arguably the ultimate blockbuster machine in the film industry. But even he has moments he would rather erase and start anew. There are two specific scenes he regrets the most.
Commercial Powerhouse
When you have made as many films as Spielberg, it is almost inevitable. 37 feature films make up a career that most can only dream of, and within that impressive oeuvre, Spielberg can proudly claim to have created some of the most beloved films of the last century. Jaws, Indiana Jones, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan are among the absolute classics.
This is why Spielberg is often seen as a commercial powerhouse more interested in making money than in creating art. But for a boy who spent his childhood behind the camera imitating his heroes, Spielberg is, first and foremost, an artist. And thus, he has moments in his career he would rather forget.
Two Scenes
In addition to his infamous distaste for Hook, there are particularly two scenes that bother him for very different reasons. The first comes from his sci-fi epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 1977, which was a tremendous success both critically and commercially.
A meteor shower in New Jersey inspired him to make the film: "We lay down on a military sleeping bag and looked up at the sky. Every thirty seconds there was a bright flash shooting through the air. I remember saying, influenced by my father: 'If I ever get to make a sci-fi film, I want those guys to come in peace.'"
Kept Insisting
Shortly after the success of Jaws, this marked a new step for Spielberg, but the studio forced him to rush: "I missed the Christmas deadline. But they kept insisting: 'You have to make November, our entire company is at stake and we are all counting on this film.' So I had no choice."
After the success, Spielberg asked Columbia for permission to re-edit the film the way he wanted. He was allowed to, but only on the condition that he showed the interior of the mothership. Spielberg conceded and let Richard Dreyfuss walk in. In hindsight, he considered this a mistake: "That should have always remained a mystery. I should never have tampered with the archive of my own work, and I advise no one to do that."
Film Adjusted
Another moment of regret arose from a different kind of pressure with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The 1982 film is still regarded as one of the best children’s films of all time. However, for the film's 20th anniversary, Spielberg decided to make changes: guns were digitally replaced with walkie-talkies.
That also proved to be a mistake: "That was a mistake. E.T. is a product of its time. No film should be rewritten through the lens we view the world now, whether voluntarily or under pressure." He added: "Our films are signposts of where we were, what the world looked like, and how stories were received at the time. I truly regret altering that."
